Iraq and the Jewish People: An Ancient Relationship
Iraqi Jews in front of Ezekiel's Tomb
Part I
The mass emigration of Jews from Iraq in the years 1950 and 1951 brought to an end the existence of a community which had been in the region for millennia. From the very birth of Judaism in what was then Mesopotamia, Jews have been present in or very strongly linked to the area. The emigration from Iraq in the early 1950s caused a tremendous cultural loss for the Jews. It is not within the scope of this paper to fully examine what has been lost; however, it is important to make mention of the great culture which developed over centuries. In discussions of this type, researchers tend to focus on historical fact and neglect those valuable aspects of culture that are now gone.
This paper examines the relationship and interactions between Jews and the region now known as Iraq throughout the ages. The discussion will focus on a number of different periods, most notably:
1. The age of Mesopotamia, the birthplace of Judaism,
2. Assyria and Babylonia and the conquest of Israel and Judea,
3. The rise of the Babylonian community in Talmudic times,
4. The Geonic era, and
5. The… Continue reading
Report from the YU Dead Sea Scrolls Seminar
YU News reports:
Yeshiva University hosted its first annual Dead Sea Scrolls Seminar at the Wilf Campus on Sunday, May 19, showcasing the work of four Dead Sea Scrolls scholars from YU and beyond.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls is one of those things that people hear about and talk about, and it’s important that people’s talking about it should be based on real knowledge, rather than rumors and misconceptions,” said Dr. Moshe Bernstein, David A. and Fannie M. Denenberg Chair in Biblical Studies, who organized the seminar along with Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, vice provost for undergraduate education and professor of Judaic studies at YU.
Read the rest of this article: Studying the Scrolls
The Jewish Star on the YU Dead Sea Scrolls Seminar
The rarified discourse and debate of scholars and researchers will be open for the lay public as well as professionals to listen, observe and learn at a first time seminar on May 19th at Yeshiva University.
A confluence of scholars from different but related fields and a generous grant has brought together the first annual conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls to be held in the Lipschutz-Gutwirth Study Hall (Rubin Shul) of Yeshiva University this Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 PM.
The goal of the seminar was for students and the lay public to “see actual scholarship in action,” said Lawrence H. Schiffman, Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Judaic Studies, Yeshiva University, and a world renown expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls. The seminar would open it to the “wider public,” he said, “for lay people who are interested in learning about the Dead Sea Scrolls…its an obligation to present it to scholars and the lay public.” He and Moshe J. Bernstein, the David A. and Fannie M. Denenberg Chair in Biblical Studies, Yeshiva University, said that they wanted to do this for along time, to bring scholars together on campus. “We hope professors are lost in the… Continue reading
